Kelvin Jackson - It Was All A Dream

She moved with erotic grace and her body spoke in volumes to every man and many women who watched her perform. Midway through her set she began to work the bar surrounding the stage collecting 10’s,20’s, and 50’s. She always felt funny when she would get tips from her co-workers that were working the paying customers for drinks and tips, but never would she turn down a dollar. Mattie was collecting and tossing bills center stage and almost froze when she saw Raven at the bar with a big black bald guy whispering in her ear. His head was down so she couldn’t see his face but that was a head she had seen between her legs far too many times not to know.

Deep down Mattie was hoping that the alcohol was really working overtime on her imagination. She was about ten feet away, but one of her regular customers was engaged in battle with her and and what she was witnessing for her attention. Her eyes were winning and locked in on Raven and her customer. When K looked up and locked eyes with Mattie, She was paralyzed by jealousy and literally froze in her tracks.

When K and MattIe locked eyes, he felt all the love, hate, pain, and abandonment of the past five months of his life overwhelm him all at once. Raven smiled at Mattie and blew her a kiss as she performed.

“Work that shit gurrrl!” Raven screamed out to Mattie.

K could clearly see the rage in Mattie’s face when she saw Raven’s ass pushed back on his dick. As Mattie stormed off the stage the patrons at the club screamed out boo’s and shouts of disapproval.

“Dam! I wonder what that was all about?I ain’t never seen Jaz trip like that over nuthin. She’s usually cool as ice,” said Raven sipping on her drink.

K shrugged, smiled, and took a sip of his Heineken. He knew Mattie was a tough chick too, but her reaction had also caught him a little by surprise. The DJ came over the sound system apologizing for the delay in the show and promised it would continue momentarily. As soon as the DJ started to play the music again Raven turned to face K.

“So what do you have planned for the evening mister?”

“I’ve got some biz to tend to later, but-“

K saw what was about to happen, but was powerless to stop Mattie as she swung the box cutter in her raised hand, bringing the blade down across Raven’s face tearing her cheek open. It happened too fast for him to react.

“Get da fuck away from my man bitch!” Mattie screamed in an erratic rage.

Raven grabbed her cheek and cried out in shock. It was useless. The gash made by the blade began to bleed heavily. Mattie attempted to swing again. This time K caught her wrist.

“Fuck you niggah! Get da fuck off me! How you gonna be up in here with this bitch all up in your face?!”

“Calm the fuck down before yo crazy ass go to jail!” K barked.

His guess was the word jail brought her somewhat back to her senses. The look of recognition on her face said that she knew she fucked up. She heard the cop from MENACE TO SOCIETY’S voice in her head as clear as day. You know you fucked up right. K grabbed her arm and they rushed through the crowd headed for the door. Mattie had obviously left the stage and prepared herself to fight. She’d changed from her heels to her tims (Timberlands boots) and was right on K’s heels as they knocked down whoever got in their way. K saw the huge bouncers standing at the door blocking the exit.

“Stop them!” somebody shouted from the bar area.

K saw the look on Mattie’s face, realizing that she was probably about to go to jail.

POP! POP! POP! Came the sound from the entrance behind the bouncers.

“Getdafuk against the wall bitchass muscle mafuckas!” said Blass swinging the Smith and Wesson, pointing it at each of the bouncers.

They threw up their hands reluctantly in surrender and moved to the side so K and Mattie could pass through. As they ran out of the entrance Blass followed letting off two more shots in the ceiling. They ran across the parking lot like they had just robbed the joint and jumped in the rental. As they exited the club headed towards the highway, they could see police strobe lights rapidly approaching in the distance.

After they got back to the hood, Blass told K to drop him off at his girls crib. Blass was still trippin after K told him how the situation unfolded in the club.

“Yo Mat. You a crazy bitch ma! I always knew you had some gangsta in you cause you fucks wit my man…but dam! You blew shorty whole face open!”

Mattie gave Blass an evil stare from the backseat, but didn’t respond. She knew he was just clownin’. After Blass was dropped off they hit the highway. As they drove westbound on the L.I.E. headed towards the city, she was quiet. There was so much to say, but it was like neither one of them knew where to start. It didn’t help K’s thought process that she was still wearing the outfit she’d performed in. Dam she’s sexy, he thought.

“Man what the hell happened to you? You just up and disappeared after you moved otta my parents crib. I was fucked up worrying about you,” K said.

Now she did finally look him square in his eyes. If K hadn’t seen the pain before, he saw it now in the tears welling up in her eyes.

“You were fucked up? You…were…fucked…up?! Niggah, I was homeless, lonely, broke, and extremely confused about my life and future. You know me better than anybody and you know I don’t like to depend on nobody for shit! I put all my faith and trust in you, and your so called peoples break in our house and steal every dime you had stashed for our future. You knew I wasn’t gonna be no broke hungry bitch and I don’t sell drugs. So basically I’ve just been surviving the best way I know how. It was never my intention to hurt you. I loved you and you were always good to me,” said Mattie clearly distraught.

Now it was his turn to be speechless. Her reality had been something that he had selfishly overlooked. The silence between them was deafening. He chose his next words carefully as she stared out the passenger side window.

“Look. I’m sorry. I’ve only been looking at this one sided. I know that shit must have got real stressful for you. Maybe we can find somewhere we can park and talk,” he said understanding her point of view.

Mattie nodded her head quietly in agreement as they drove towards the tollbooths of the Midtown Tunnel. As the lights of the New York City skyline came into view, the realization that it was Friday night hit him.

“It should be a blunt rolled up in the ashtray if you tryin ta blow..”

Mattie had pushed in the lighter and opened the ashtray in one swift motion. A few seconds later she was taking deep, lung smashing drags of Kush. almost immediately the reality of her slashing Raven at the club hit her.

“Dam, I reeeally fucked up this time. I know that cut is gonna leave a permanent scar on her. Not to mention my home address is on file at the club from my application. The cops are definitely gonna be lookin for a bitch,” she said.

“Man, I wasn’t expecting you to do no crazy shit like that! I mean I was tryin to make you jealous, but not like that!”

“I don’t know what came over me. I know I wasn’t prepared for those emotions that attacked me when I saw her all between your legs and smiling like I used to be….I mean…” she said stumbling over her words.

She looked away ashamed.

“You gon be aight, but we gotta get somewhere and find you a sweat suit or t-shirt or sumn. I can’t stay focused with you sittinover there dressed like that,” K said seriously.

That got a smile out of her. It was almost midnight when they hit 8th Avenue and the only places open that sold clothes were tourist novelty stores. K double parked, ran in and bought Mattie an I LOVE NY shirt. After that they headed down towards Greenwich Village. They cruised up and down NYC streets expressing how they felt for a couple of hours. If this would have happened then maybe this would have happened. Or if this wouldn’t have happened, then this wouldn’t have happened. But the reality was what had happened had happened, and the past couldn’t be changed.